Eva Pils

Eva Pils is a Professor holding the Alexander von Humboldt Chair in Human Rights Law at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and a Visiting Professor at Queen Mary University of London School of Law. She specializes in autocratic governance, legal resistance, and transnational repression, with a focus on China. Her research explores complicity in authoritarian wrongs and democratic resilience. Pils earned her PhD from University College London and previously held tenured positions at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2007–2014) and King’s College London (2014–2024), where she became a full professor in 2018.

Her education spans law, philosophy, and sinology from institutions in Heidelberg, London, and Beijing. She co-founded the Centre for Rights and Justice at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and collaborates with global institutions like the US-Asia Law Institute and the Lau China Institute. Pils advises international bodies, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Poverty and Human Rights, and contributes to media debates on China’s legal and political dynamics.

Research Interests: Her work bridges legal scholarship and political analysis, addressing authoritarian legal systems, human rights advocacy, and the global implications of autocratisation. Recent projects examine transnational repression and the role of human rights in democratic resilience.

Awards: Recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Chair (2024) and a Citation of Merit in the Human Rights Press Awards (2009). Her contributions to academic freedom and human rights advocacy are internationally recognized.

Teaching: In 2024/25, she teaches Human Rights Law, Foundations of Human Rights, and seminars on autocratisation at FAU’s Law School and MA Human Rights Programme. Future courses include Non-Discrimination Rights and Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age.

Labs/Teams: Director of the FAU Centre for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg (CHREN) and part of its leadership team. Collaborates with global networks on human rights research and policy.